1. This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn More.

Business cards?

Discussion in 'General' started by relix, 30 May 2007.

  1. relix

    relix Minimodder

    Joined:
    14 Nov 2001
    Posts:
    5,948
    Likes Received:
    41
    Yeah, I've tried it. Printers don't like the low-size of business cards ;). If anyone has an idea how to overcome this without killing the cards (by pasting them on an A4 for example), please do speak out :clap:

    Firehed: indeed, I'll probably just cough up the price.
     
  2. Flibblebot

    Flibblebot Smile with me

    Joined:
    19 Apr 2005
    Posts:
    4,825
    Likes Received:
    292
    The business cards I linked to in my post are actually on an A4 sheet; you print your cards, then separate them. Easy.
     
  3. relix

    relix Minimodder

    Joined:
    14 Nov 2001
    Posts:
    5,948
    Likes Received:
    41
    Read the thread, Flibblebot, read the thread... :rolleyes:
     
  4. ArsoN

    ArsoN What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    30 Sep 2003
    Posts:
    353
    Likes Received:
    2
    You should try printing your own cards. Maybe on sticky labels.
     
  5. Flibblebot

    Flibblebot Smile with me

    Joined:
    19 Apr 2005
    Posts:
    4,825
    Likes Received:
    292
    erm...yes, I've already read the thread (thanks for the unwarranted condescension)...and?

    All you've said is that you've tried to put a card through your laser printer and it got jammed. What you haven't said is what type of card it was (the cards I linked to are specifically for laser printers), what paper tray you were using, whether you'd told the printer it was printing on card (yes, it makes a difference) and what laser printer you're using.

    I'm good, but I'm not omniscient (that's another thread entirely)

    I was trying to help. Sorry for bothering.
     
    Last edited: 5 Jun 2007
  6. furqan

    furqan What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    2 May 2004
    Posts:
    524
    Likes Received:
    0
    He wants to get the card printed professionally then print the individual numbers on the cards himself. So he's asking how he could do that as the printer doesn't like the small size!
     
  7. Flibblebot

    Flibblebot Smile with me

    Joined:
    19 Apr 2005
    Posts:
    4,825
    Likes Received:
    292
    Assuming relix designed the artwork himself, I'd still say it's easier to print both sides of the cards himself rather than get the printer to print one side, then cobble together some kind of half-arsed solution for printing a serial number that ends up looking like a blind monkey did it while smoking crack.

    Also assuming that he has access to a decent colour laser printer, a pack of the stuff I linked to contains 25 sheets with 10 cards per sheet. That's 250 cards for €20, plus minimal cost for the toner usage. The quality from a laser printer is more than acceptable. I don't know how the printer person would do it, but it can't be economic for him to do a screen print for such a small run?

    I think people are getting hung up on the idea of printing on the back of pre-printed business cards, when it would be easier for relix to print both sides of the card himslef. I know he's Belgian, but it makes sense from where I'm sitting.
     
  8. relix

    relix Minimodder

    Joined:
    14 Nov 2001
    Posts:
    5,948
    Likes Received:
    41
    :clap:

    But, if you really read the thread you can see I dismissed printing my own business cards three times already. In your defense, however, half the people who posted in this thread seem to have "missed it". I think that's what's making me a bit ... cranky. I'm sure you understand?

    Anyway, I did the math even before I posted this thread, so here's a summary: I do not have access to a colour laser printer. If I want to print full colour on a top-of-the-art laser printer that fills half a room in a copyshop, it costs €1 per page, with €5 "activation costs" (insane). This means, for 250 business cards, I need to pay €20 + €50 + €5 = €75.

    Now double that and you've got the price I have to pay to get 1000 of them professionally printed, with dynamic text on them, taxes included and shipping costs and with what's left I can buy a sixpack of excellent Belgian beer.

    As I already mentioned, the price the professional printer asks is very reasonable, so I'm probably going that route. However, if anyone here knows of a good way to print on 50mm*85mm pieces of paper without too much hassle, or has a different solution for the whole problem, that would be appreciated, since it would cut my costs in half :).
     
  9. Firehed

    Firehed Why not? I own a domain to match.

    Joined:
    15 Feb 2004
    Posts:
    12,574
    Likes Received:
    16
    You could try using some of those corner-stickies people use for scrapbooking stuck to a normal sheet of paper to hold the cards into place as you print on your custom numbers, but I'm guessing that it would make a mess of things and jam all over the place.
     
  10. vetlel

    vetlel What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    7 Apr 2004
    Posts:
    246
    Likes Received:
    0
    Relix, bite the bullit,

    Spend money on your bussiness.
    Starting a business will cost you money, there is no other way around it.

    Come to think of it, the 200 euros a proper set of cards will only mean you will eat less quality food for a month. Getting 10 customers from it, will let you have a celebration dinner fit for a king! (You know i'm right... even if it is only 2 slices of bread and a bit of meat.)

    In business, it is never about the money you save, it's about the money you make. Think: would you borrow money from people to make this work? No? Why are you doubting???

    I have some ideas i would like to bounce of of you, as i am also starting a business (again), but PM me for that, if you like. I am not sure this is the place for it.
     
  11. relix

    relix Minimodder

    Joined:
    14 Nov 2001
    Posts:
    5,948
    Likes Received:
    41
    Firehed, good idea, will have to try that sometime.

    Vetlel, I know. I'm just not sure if I can justify spending that much money on ... business cards. It's basically the same amount of money I will need to run a server running Seenly for a month. So even though making business cards may gain me a few customers, it will cut the time I have before I'm "dead" with a significant amount.
     
  12. Lorquis

    Lorquis lorquisSpamCount++;

    Joined:
    8 Sep 2002
    Posts:
    5,428
    Likes Received:
    106
    Just somehow summoned quite an obvious idea, one which I'll be sure as hell to use... buy an old half knackered dot matrix printer on ebay... use either some of that "booger glue" they use on magazines or a fine mist of spray tacking adhesive, put a dusty cloth over that to take the adhesion down further, and put as many cards as you can fit onto a bit of card/paper and adjust the roller spacing on the printer.

    It's a modified way of how "all the big boys" do it.. but it might be worth it, hell they do this kinda thing with mobile phone top ups, scratch cards etc so it's simple enough to actually work!

    if you wanted to go a bit better on it... you could always make a continuous jig with some tacky rubber matting that would auto load from a "magazine" of the cards...

    shouldn't do much if any damage to the cards... might take a bit of time but it'd be worth it... muchly cheap way too!
     
  13. greywolf

    greywolf What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    15 Oct 2004
    Posts:
    381
    Likes Received:
    0
    Have your printer print the cards (multiple out) on a specific size sheet (A4?) that you know will run through your laser printer. Then you can laser your variable data on pre-printed sheet...then cut to size. You can create an excel spreadsheet with all your variable (it's just one code..right) and link it to word for the layout to print.

    I'm in the variable print business and we quite frequently pre-print color "shells" of the static art and then imprint on a B&W device the variable. So, what I suggest is a low tech, do it yourself version.

    Couple of things.
    -Make sure your laser printer can handle the heavy stock first.
    -Your going to have to play in word to get the multi-card layout just right.
    -Leave an unprinted area on your card for the variable, toner doesn't like sticking to ink.
    -Have the area where the variable will print be oversized...so you have some wiggle room to hit it.

    It's quite doable...good luck!
     
  14. thecrownles

    thecrownles What's a Relix?

    Joined:
    27 Feb 2004
    Posts:
    733
    Likes Received:
    0
  15. relix

    relix Minimodder

    Joined:
    14 Nov 2001
    Posts:
    5,948
    Likes Received:
    41
    Lorquis:
    Good idea there, but finding and buying a matrix printer would decrease profit to a level where the quality of having the printer do it is worth the price.

    Greywolf:
    Excellent! My laser printer can't handle the paper though (it maxes out at 100g/m^2), but I'll try and find one that is up to the task. If I did let the printer do it, should I also leave the space where they have to put the dynamic text on white, or would their equipment not be bothered by the toner limitations?

    Thecrownies:
    Two flaws in your suggestion. Firstly, the invite-codes would be incremental and thus if you know one you know them all, which defeats the purpose of having an invite-system.
    Second, being a usability expert, I want the tokens to consist of two basic random english words and a two-digit number. Example: bluetree21. This eases input and memorization and minimizes error, since humans are more comfortable typing words than numbers.
     
  16. Atomic

    Atomic Gerwaff

    Joined:
    6 May 2002
    Posts:
    9,646
    Likes Received:
    94
    You can get alpha numeric rubber stamps...
     
  17. greywolf

    greywolf What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    15 Oct 2004
    Posts:
    381
    Likes Received:
    0

    Most laser printers with a bypass tray can handle heavier stocks, we have an HP 5500 that does a fair job with BC stock (300gsm) if fed one at a time. Course my production machines can handle upto 360.

    It depends on how they are producing the cards...but the easy answer is yes, leave the area where your variable prints white and there will not be any issues no matter how they handle the variable. This sounds like your best option.

    So how are you going to "create" one thousand unique and random alpha numeric codes that contain actual words?
     
  18. relix

    relix Minimodder

    Joined:
    14 Nov 2001
    Posts:
    5,948
    Likes Received:
    41
    Thanks for your answers greywolf :)

    Creating the one thousand unique tokens won't be much of a problem: download a dictionary file, parse it, mix and mash, add magic, and you've got a list ready for pasting in Excell. The biggest worry is having esoteric words enter the tokens, which would kind of defeat the purpose of using actual words.

    Edit:
    Problem solved - 1000 most common English nouns
     
  19. greywolf

    greywolf What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    15 Oct 2004
    Posts:
    381
    Likes Received:
    0
    Glad I could help.
    Odd though I expected my Avatar to change, guess I'm immune.
     
  20. Lorquis

    Lorquis lorquisSpamCount++;

    Joined:
    8 Sep 2002
    Posts:
    5,428
    Likes Received:
    106
    No one is ever immune for long.

    I would reconsider the DM printer though relix, I mean in the future you may find you need to do it more often...

    Another way that I hadn't thought of, which could be quite easy to do, but require a bit of hacking, is pretty much making an inkjet handheld graffiti type thing... but just have some rollers under the print head, kinda like they do with sell by/use by dates on food etc..

    And also... for the unique code thing... basically.... you're AOL'ing it up! They used to be well funny :D
     

Share This Page